The Chushul Chakzam (Tibetan: ཆུ་ཤུལ་ལྕགས་ཟམ), or simply Chakzam which literally means "iron bridge" in Standard Tibetan, was a suspension bridge that spanned the Yarlung Tsangpo river in modern-day Qüxü County near Lhasa, Tibet. It was built in 1430 by Thang Tong Gyalpo.[3] The southern bridgehead was built on the mountain Chowuri, which is sacred in Tibetan Buddhism. This mountain was a site where Guru Rinpoche and Trisong Detsen had meditated during the 8th Century.[2] When it was built, its main section was the longest unsupported span in the world, with a central span estimated at around 150 yards (140 metres).[1]
In 1444, a monastery Chaksam Chuwori (Tibetan: ལྕགས་ཟམ་ཆུ་བོ་རི) was founded on the southern bridgehead.[1][2] During its existence, the monastery served as the seat of Chakzampa school of Tibetan Buddhism.[2] Supported by the bridge toll, the monastery at one point hosted about 100 monks.[4] The monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.[5]
By the 1860s, the bridge was in a state of disrepair that a ferry was in operation slightly upstream offering safer passage.[1] By 1904, the river had overflown the north bank leaving the northern bridgehead on an island, thus rendering the bridge functionally ineffective.[6] The ferryman mostly came from a nearby village of Chun or Junba, which is the only fishing village in Tibet.[7][8][9] The ferry service continued as late as 1959.[7]
During the Qing expedition to Tibet of 1910, the 13th Dalai Lama decided to seek refuge in India. His general Tsarong fought a skirmish against the Chinese here, holding their advances allowing the Dalai Lama to safely arrive in India.[10]
The bridge was torn down by the Chinese government in the 1950s when they were building the concrete bridge in its place.[2] The new concrete bridge Qushui Yaluzangbujiang Bridge opened on August 1, 1966.[11]
Chaksam ferry as depicted in this map from mid-1800s showing an iron chain bridge, a horse head ferry, and a yak-hide boat.
Diagram by an Indian spy working for the Survey of India in 1878
Chakzam Ferry as photoed by Ernst Schäfer in 1938
Qushui Yaluzangbujiang Bridge, the concrete bridge built by PRC replacing the Chushul Chakzam.
^ abcdeReport on the Trans-Himalayan Explorations in Connection with the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India During 1865-67. 1867. p. 47. we were rowed down the stream to Chusul village, passing Chaksam Chori village, which is situated on the right bank of the river, at foot of hill, and alongside an old bridge (formed of iron chain and rope), which owing to its insecurity, is seldom or never used, the ferries being preferable.
^ abcdeGerner, Manfred (2007). Chakzampa Thangtong Gyalpo: Architect, Philosopher and Iron Chain Bridge Builder(PDF). Translated by Verhufen, Gregor. Centre for Bhutan Studies. ISBN978-99936-14-39-5. (p12) This monastery is located at the holy mountain of Chuwo Ri (Chu bo ri), above the southern bridgehead of his iron chain bridge across the Yarlung Tsangpo river. Chuwo Ri is one of eight original meditation caves of Guru Rinpoche and the eighth century king of the Dharma, Trisong Detsen. (p32) In Tibet, the large monastery of Chakzam Chuwo Ri (lCags zam Chu bo ri) that Thangtong Gyalpo founded in 1444, located at the southern bridgehead of his famous 'Chakzam' across the Yarlung Tsangpo river, above its confluence with the Kyichu river (sKyid chu) became his main seat. Later, the monastery of Chakzam Chuwo Ri became the main monastery of the Chakzampa school as well as the seat of the Chakzampa Tulkus. (p83) Chinese engineers tore down this bridge during the construction of the new concrete bridge in about 1950 (p85) 30 centimetres wide
^Dundul Namgyal Tsarong, Ani K. Trinlay Chödron, In the service of his country: the biography of Dasang Damdul Tsarong, commander general of Tibet, Snow Lion Publications, 2000, ISBN1-55939-151-0, p. 26
^Dowman, Keith (2008). The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide(PDF). Vajra Publications. p. 137. ISBN978-9937-506-04-5. The 100 monks of this gompa were supported by the bridge toll.
^Lungta. Amnye Machen Institute. 2001. the monastery of Lcags zam Chu bo ri ... was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
^Waddell, Lawrence Austine (1906). Lhasa and its mysteries : with a record of the expedition of 1903-1904. New York: E.P. Dutton. pp. 312–313 – via Wikisource. (p312) bridge spans picturesquely the main stream of the river about 200 yards below the ferry, under the monastery which bears its name, "The holy hill of the Iron Bridge" (Chak-sam ch'ö-ri). ... it is not used at present, owing apparently to the river having burst for nearly half its waters a fresh channel to the north, and so having left the northern end of the bridge stranded amid-stream ... It is about 150 yards in length and 15 feet above flood-level ... (p313) The bridge was still in use in 1878
^ abDiana Lange (2015). ""The Boatman is more Beautiful than a God" Poetising and Singing on the Rivers in Central and Southern Tibet". The Illuminating Mirror. Tibetan Studies in Honour of per K. Soerensen on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Academia. Chaksam ferry station ... was served by villagers from the fishing village Chun ('Jun) during the entire year. Transport services along the route between Lhasa and Tsetang were also carried out by villagers. Chun is situated on the east bank of the southern part of the Kyichu, close to Chushur. It is the only village in Central Tibet where the inhabitants still live as fishermen.
^Duan, Elaine (December 15, 2010). "From legend to reality – a fishing village in Tibet". china.org.cn. Retrieved 21 January 2020. In fact, Junba is the only fishing village in Tibet.
^日本旅宿小小咖 (2018-01-14). "西藏唯一的渔村, 因吃鱼而曾备受歧视, 连老婆都娶不到！" (in Chinese). Sina. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
^Paul G. Hackett (1 May 2012). Theos Bernard, the White Lama: Tibet, Yoga, and American Religious Life. Columbia University Press. p. 457. ISBN978-0-231-53037-8. Dasang Damdul and his men followed the escape route taken by the Great Thirteenth's entourage--as did the Chinese force pursuing both of their parties--and at Chaksam Ferry four miles outside of Lhasa, decided to make a stand. ... Dasang Damdul would come to be known as the "Hero of Chaksam Ferry."
chushul, chakzam, tibetan, གས, ཟམ, simply, chakzam, which, literally, means, iron, bridge, standard, tibetan, suspension, bridge, that, spanned, yarlung, tsangpo, river, modern, qüxü, county, near, lhasa, tibet, built, 1430, thang, tong, gyalpo, southern, brid. The Chushul Chakzam Tibetan ཆ ཤ ལ ལ གས ཟམ or simply Chakzam which literally means iron bridge in Standard Tibetan was a suspension bridge that spanned the Yarlung Tsangpo river in modern day Quxu County near Lhasa Tibet It was built in 1430 by Thang Tong Gyalpo 3 The southern bridgehead was built on the mountain Chowuri which is sacred in Tibetan Buddhism This mountain was a site where Guru Rinpoche and Trisong Detsen had meditated during the 8th Century 2 When it was built its main section was the longest unsupported span in the world with a central span estimated at around 150 yards 140 metres 1 Chushul Chakzamཆ ཤ ལ ལ གས ཟམOld Chain Bridge at Chaksam Coordinates29 19 38 31 N 90 41 9 56 E 29 3273083 N 90 6859889 E 29 3273083 90 6859889CrossesYarlung TsangpoLocaleQuxu County Lhasa Prefecture Tibet Autonomous RegionCharacteristicsDesignSuspension bridgeMaterialIron suspensionTrough constructionPlank footwayPier constructionStone piersTotal length150 yards 140 m 1 Width30 centimetres 12 in 2 Height15 feet 4 6 m 1 HistoryDesignerThang Tong GyalpoOpened1430 1430 Closed1950s 1950s Replaced byQushui Yaluzangbujiang BridgeLocation Chushul ChakzamTibetan nameTibetanཆ ཤ ལ ལ གས ཟམTranscriptionsWyliechu shul lcags zamTHLchu shul chak zam Chaksam ChuworiTibetan nameTibetanལ གས ཟམ ཆ བ ར TranscriptionsWylielcags zam chu bo riTHLchak zam chuwo ri In 1444 a monastery Chaksam Chuwori Tibetan ལ གས ཟམ ཆ བ ར was founded on the southern bridgehead 1 2 During its existence the monastery served as the seat of Chakzampa school of Tibetan Buddhism 2 Supported by the bridge toll the monastery at one point hosted about 100 monks 4 The monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution 5 Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory editBy the 1860s the bridge was in a state of disrepair that a ferry was in operation slightly upstream offering safer passage 1 By 1904 the river had overflown the north bank leaving the northern bridgehead on an island thus rendering the bridge functionally ineffective 6 The ferryman mostly came from a nearby village of Chun or Junba which is the only fishing village in Tibet 7 8 9 The ferry service continued as late as 1959 7 During the Qing expedition to Tibet of 1910 the 13th Dalai Lama decided to seek refuge in India His general Tsarong fought a skirmish against the Chinese here holding their advances allowing the Dalai Lama to safely arrive in India 10 The bridge was torn down by the Chinese government in the 1950s when they were building the concrete bridge in its place 2 The new concrete bridge Qushui Yaluzangbujiang Bridge opened on August 1 1966 11 nbsp Chaksam ferry as depicted in this map from mid 1800s showing an iron chain bridge a horse head ferry and a yak hide boat nbsp Diagram by an Indian spy working for the Survey of India in 1878 nbsp Chakzam Ferry as photoed by Ernst Schafer in 1938 nbsp Qushui Yaluzangbujiang Bridge the concrete bridge built by PRC replacing the Chushul Chakzam nbsp Ferry crossing in the 1930s nbsp Modern recreational ferrySee also editList of bridges in ChinaReferences edit a b c d e Report on the Trans Himalayan Explorations in Connection with the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India During 1865 67 1867 p 47 we were rowed down the stream to Chusul village passing Chaksam Chori village which is situated on the right bank of the river at foot of hill and alongside an old bridge formed of iron chain and rope which owing to its insecurity is seldom or never used the ferries being preferable a b c d e Gerner Manfred 2007 Chakzampa Thangtong Gyalpo Architect Philosopher and Iron Chain Bridge Builder PDF Translated by Verhufen Gregor Centre for Bhutan Studies ISBN 978 99936 14 39 5 p12 This monastery is located at the holy mountain of Chuwo Ri Chu bo ri above the southern bridgehead of his iron chain bridge across the Yarlung Tsangpo river Chuwo Ri is one of eight original meditation caves of Guru Rinpoche and the eighth century king of the Dharma Trisong Detsen p32 In Tibet the large monastery of Chakzam Chuwo Ri lCags zam Chu bo ri that Thangtong Gyalpo founded in 1444 located at the southern bridgehead of his famous Chakzam across the Yarlung Tsangpo river above its confluence with the Kyichu river sKyid chu became his main seat Later the monastery of Chakzam Chuwo Ri became the main monastery of the Chakzampa school as well as the seat of the Chakzampa Tulkus p83 Chinese engineers tore down this bridge during the construction of the new concrete bridge in about 1950 p85 30 centimetres wide Dundul Namgyal Tsarong Ani K Trinlay Chodron In the service of his country the biography of Dasang Damdul Tsarong commander general of Tibet Snow Lion Publications 2000 ISBN 1 55939 151 0 p 26 Dowman Keith 2008 The Power places of Central Tibet The Pilgrim s Guide PDF Vajra Publications p 137 ISBN 978 9937 506 04 5 The 100 monks of this gompa were supported by the bridge toll Lungta Amnye Machen Institute 2001 the monastery of Lcags zam Chu bo ri was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution Waddell Lawrence Austine 1906 Lhasa and its mysteries with a record of the expedition of 1903 1904 New York E P Dutton pp 312 313 via Wikisource p312 bridge spans picturesquely the main stream of the river about 200 yards below the ferry under the monastery which bears its name The holy hill of the Iron Bridge Chak sam ch o ri it is not used at present owing apparently to the river having burst for nearly half its waters a fresh channel to the north and so having left the northern end of the bridge stranded amid stream It is about 150 yards in length and 15 feet above flood level p313 The bridge was still in use in 1878 a b Diana Lange 2015 The Boatman is more Beautiful than a God Poetising and Singing on the Rivers in Central and Southern Tibet The Illuminating Mirror Tibetan Studies in Honour of per K Soerensen on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday Retrieved 21 January 2020 via Academia Chaksam ferry station was served by villagers from the fishing village Chun Jun during the entire year Transport services along the route between Lhasa and Tsetang were also carried out by villagers Chun is situated on the east bank of the southern part of the Kyichu close to Chushur It is the only village in Central Tibet where the inhabitants still live as fishermen Duan Elaine December 15 2010 From legend to reality a fishing village in Tibet china org cn Retrieved 21 January 2020 In fact Junba is the only fishing village in Tibet 日本旅宿小小咖 2018 01 14 西藏唯一的渔村 因吃鱼而曾备受歧视 连老婆都娶不到 in Chinese Sina Retrieved 21 January 2020 Paul G Hackett 1 May 2012 Theos Bernard the White Lama Tibet Yoga and American Religious Life Columbia University Press p 457 ISBN 978 0 231 53037 8 Dasang Damdul and his men followed the escape route taken by the Great Thirteenth s entourage as did the Chinese force pursuing both of their parties and at Chaksam Ferry four miles outside of Lhasa decided to make a stand Dasang Damdul would come to be known as the Hero of Chaksam Ferry 常邦丽 ed 2019 06 19 西藏民主改革60周年专题展览 废奴丰碑 之八 tibetinfor org Retrieved 22 January 2020 1966年8月1日 曲水雅鲁藏布江大桥建成通车 External links editlcags zam chu bo ri Buddhist Digital Resource Center nbsp This Tibet related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte nbsp nbsp This article about a specific bridge or group of bridges in China is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chushul Chakzam amp oldid 1188029834, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
